stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires
He was not a creature of grudges and bitterness. He was a child of the light, a child of summer, a peacekeeper: the patterns his thoughts took were not those that led into darkness and despair, and thus, he did not instinctively guess what was on her mind. He was left grasping for whatever seemed the most logical to him, thinking how he would have reacted, had it been he who had so recently returned from death's door.
And he had no clue how he would, did not quite consider his own ordeal to have brought him that close to Ludo's guiding light. Besides, his own awakening had been rather bizarre, though that was a story for another time.
So he was at a loss as he gently climbed onto the bed next to her, settling his narrow frame next to hers, a steadfast, solid presence. He was calm, and that was what animals liked about him, and he figured that was why most humans allowed him close. In a way, it made him comfortable and invisible, unless you were looking for him.
He knew not to rush, sensing her tipping point was still quite near, so he said no more as he slowly moved his legs from under him and over the bed's side, letting his feet dangle in the cool air. It was a bit too cold for it, really, but he wanted to sit next to her—sit like her, as if the likeness was yet another reason for her not to shy away.
He felt the shiver course through her body, and the sigh he released was gentle, pensive, as he stared ahead through the gloom. Eventually his line of sight was broken by an uninteresting wall.
In the end, patience paid off. Had he had mobile ears, he would've flicked one in silent recognition of her voice, but as it was, he had only the body language of the body he had been born into. So he allowed his shoulders and head to angle slightly in her direction, still not quite looking at her, just as her apology seemed to fall more towards the antler in her lap.
He let the silence fall again. One second. Two. Sorry, for what? For discovering his reckless, dreamer's streak—for being the errant spark (so little had been needed) that set him ablaze, running into the monster's teeth? He was alive, so he was cautious, but the recent changes had begun to unearth something he had thought had been dead and buried for good.
"As I said," he began, still quiet, still gentle, his nearest arm extending slowly to try and wrap around her shoulders, "it's quite alright. What makes you feel like you have to apologize to me..?"
And he had no clue how he would, did not quite consider his own ordeal to have brought him that close to Ludo's guiding light. Besides, his own awakening had been rather bizarre, though that was a story for another time.
So he was at a loss as he gently climbed onto the bed next to her, settling his narrow frame next to hers, a steadfast, solid presence. He was calm, and that was what animals liked about him, and he figured that was why most humans allowed him close. In a way, it made him comfortable and invisible, unless you were looking for him.
He knew not to rush, sensing her tipping point was still quite near, so he said no more as he slowly moved his legs from under him and over the bed's side, letting his feet dangle in the cool air. It was a bit too cold for it, really, but he wanted to sit next to her—sit like her, as if the likeness was yet another reason for her not to shy away.
He felt the shiver course through her body, and the sigh he released was gentle, pensive, as he stared ahead through the gloom. Eventually his line of sight was broken by an uninteresting wall.
In the end, patience paid off. Had he had mobile ears, he would've flicked one in silent recognition of her voice, but as it was, he had only the body language of the body he had been born into. So he allowed his shoulders and head to angle slightly in her direction, still not quite looking at her, just as her apology seemed to fall more towards the antler in her lap.
He let the silence fall again. One second. Two. Sorry, for what? For discovering his reckless, dreamer's streak—for being the errant spark (so little had been needed) that set him ablaze, running into the monster's teeth? He was alive, so he was cautious, but the recent changes had begun to unearth something he had thought had been dead and buried for good.
"As I said," he began, still quiet, still gentle, his nearest arm extending slowly to try and wrap around her shoulders, "it's quite alright. What makes you feel like you have to apologize to me..?"
